Two major issues facing the Martinsville/Henry County community that are addressed by Henry County Schools are the need to prepare students for 21st Century Skills and recognizing education as a form of economic development. The elements in the 21st Century Skills include global awareness, financial, economic, business, and entrepreneurial literacy, civic literacy, and health literacy.

Henry County Schools strives to meet or exceed the state and federal mandated requirements for assessing all students’ academic progress. In addition, Henry County continues to provide a world-class education that is second to none while providing a catalyst for economic development in the Martinsville/Henry County community.

Who We Are:

The mission of the Henry County Schools is to ensure that all graduates are prepared to enter and complete further academic or technical education or enter and advance in the skilled workforce. Through shared responsibility of staff, students, family, and community, we will enable our students to become productive members of society and life-long learners.

Goals

• Henry County Schools’ instructional programming will enable all students to achieve at their highest potential.
• The Capital Improvement Plan will be revised annually based on an assessment of needs and priorities.
• The Division will develop and implement a plan for attracting, hiring, and retaining quality teachers, administrators, and paraprofessionals.
• The Division will provide safe and supportive learning environments.
• The Division will develop an internal accountability system that is consistent with the Virginia Standards of Accreditation and No Child Left Behind legislation.
• The Division Technology Plan will be aligned with the Virginia Department of
• Education's Educational Technology Plan for 2003-2009.
• The Division will develop programs that assist families and the community in participating more fully in the educational process.

People

Dr. Sharon Dodson – Superintendent
Dr. James Beckner, Jr. – Assistant Superintendent - Business
Mr. DeWitt House – Assistant Superintendent - Instruction

What We Do:

• HCS operates 15 schools (two high schools, two middle schools, and eleven elementary schools), a Community Learning Center, a Regional Alternative Program, and a Parent Resource Center in the local mall.
• HCS operates three preschool programs in nineteen classrooms.
• Comprehensive Special Education Program
• Inclusive English Language Learners Program
• Inclusive Gifted and Talented Program
• Participates in Piedmont Regional Governor’s School for Science, Mathematics, and Technology.
• HCS provides job shadowing, mentorship, and internship opportunities for students through the Oh Henry Career Experience Program.
• Henry County school buses travel 1,348,098 miles transporting students in one year and spent $4,943,433.76 in transportation costs last year.  The average cost per mile is $1.73.  All school bus drivers hold a Class B commercial driver license with passenger and school bus endorsements.
• The School Nutrition Program serves 3,200 breakfasts daily and 5,500 lunches daily.  Students consume more than 75,000 gallons of milk in a year.  An estimated $1.6 million dollars a year is spent on food.
• HCS provides high quality research-based professional development for administrators, teachers, and paraprofessionals.
• Henry County Schools offers a comprehensive athletic program for middle and high school students.
• Henry County Schools has a nationally recognized horticulture program.
• Band programs are recognized at the national level.
• Comprehensive elective course offerings are available for middle and high school students.
• HCS participates in a division-wide differentiation of instruction initiative.
• Henry County Schools offers a division-wide mentoring program for first year teachers.
• A comprehensive Career and Technical Program is available for middle and high school students.
• Official student enrollment is 7,587.
• The average student/teacher ratio is 15:1.
• According to a recent study reported by the Virginia Employment Commission, Henry County Schools is the largest employer with 1,125 total employees.
• 790 Henry County School employees (52%) hold a post-secondary degree
• Over one-third of Henry County teachers hold a Masters degree
• Instant Parental Notification System — All HCS parents are notified in minutes with the correct message and what they need to do in the event of an emergency. Parents and/or other designated family members receive communications via telephone, e-mail, pager, and cell phone informing them of the situation and how they should respond.
• All elementary school classrooms (and some middle school classrooms) are equipped with Sound-Field Amplification Systems. The teacher wears a wireless, infrared microphone, and his/her voice is played through loudspeakers for the entire class to hear.
• Over 100 classrooms are equipped with SMART Boards™ (provided with grant awards). A SMART Board™ instantly makes a classroom interactive by projecting anything on a computer screen to a large interactive white board.
• Board Docs™ — The HCS School Board conducts paperless meetings. All school board meeting agendas, minutes and policies are available online.
• Education Station — HCS operates a Parent Resource Center (Education Station) from a storefront in the local mall. A variety of programs are offered at no charge to the community.
• All HCS teachers maintain a web page including daily assignments, schedules, syllabi, and contact information.
• All schools have fiber to the desktop and have Internet/Intranet services via the WAN from the central office servers.
• Both HCS high schools offer 80 different Industry Certification/State Licensure options for students.
• Almost 700 students are enrolled in one or more Dual Enrollment and/or AP classes this school year.
• The HCS student/computer ratio is 2:1. (The state requirement is 5:1.)

Our Hopes for the Future:

The mission of the Henry County Schools is to ensure that all graduates are prepared to enter and complete further academic or technical education or enter and advance in the skilled workforce. Through shared responsibility of staff, students, family, and community, we will enable our students to become productive members of society and life-long learners.

Henry County Schools strives to meet or exceed the state and federal mandated requirements for assessing all students’ academic progress. In addition, Henry County continues to provide a world-class education that is second to none, while providing a catalyst for economic development in the Martinsville/Henry County community.